Improvement in cotton-harvesters



3Sheets--Sheet1. l. H. MITCHELL.

Cotton-Harvesters.

No.154,762, Patented Sept.8,1 8 74.

Witnesses: Inventor Per/ Q Attorneys.

THE GRAPHIC C0. FHOYO -LITH. 35 & 4X PARK PLACE, MY.

3 Sheets- Sheet 3.

n. MITCHELL Button-Harvesters.

Patented Sept. 8 ,1874.

7' Witnesses:

Inventor: Z

Annrneys.

THE smrmc common-Purim 4| PARK eucs. MY,

UNI ED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN H. MITCHELL, OF FRIARS POINT, MISSISSIPPI.

IMPROVEM EN T IN COTTON-HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,762, datedSeptember 8, 187 4; application filed I October 4, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. MITCHELL, of Friars Point, in the county ofCoahoma and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and ImprovedCotton-Picking Machine, of which the following is a specification:

The invention will first be fully described, and then pointed out in theclaims.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my improvedcotton-picking machine, the section being taken on the line 00 m of Fig.2. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation of therevolving brushes. Fig. 4 is partly a plan view of thebottom and partly a horizontal section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a truck on four wheels, B G, the wheels being on shortaxles, so as to provide a channel or receptacle, D, along the bottom,about as high as the cotton-brush, for the machine to pass over therows. The front of said channel flares out to gather in the brush.Behind the truck is a large horizontal concave brush-roller, E, also aconvex brush-roller, F, and also an endless-belt brush, G, suspended inthe hood H, which is pivotedon the axis I of the hind wheels of thetruck, and suspended at the top by the endless rope J from the roller Kon the upright frame L at the front end of the machine. The revolvingbrushes are geared by a train of wheels, M, with one of the hind truckwheels, and the endless brush is geared with one of said wheels by abelt, N, and pulley 0, so that they may be raised and lowered at willwithout interfering with the gearing. They are raised and lowered byrevolving the drum K one way or the other, said drum having one part ofthe rope J wound on a small cylindrical portion, 1?, of it and the otherpart on a spirally-grooved part, Q, by which the length of the rope isvaried. The drum is turned by the crankshaft R and the endless rope S.The lower rubber Y for breaking the balls and separating it from them,and from these saws it is brushed off into the main receiver Z by therevolving brush Z while the matters sepa rated fall into receptaclesbelow to be discharged from the side of the box from time to time. Saidbrush and the saws are driven by a belt, Z from one of the hindtruck-wheels.

The apron V is of flexible material and hangs at one end from the rod a,so as to draw forward and back as the hood swings toward and from saidrod, thus adapting itself to the varying distance between the part b ofthe hood to which the apron is attached and the chute W.

The machine is designed to be used after frost, when the cotton stripseasy, and will probably run over the rows twice, once each way.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The rotary concave and convex pickingbrushes E Fand endless brush G, combined with a truck, and operated substantiallyas specified.

2. The combination of the flexible apron V, with the brush -F and thechute W, substantially as specified.

JOHN H. MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

' GEORGE WINSTON,

JAMES A. BERRY.

